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Young Black Stallion
By: Walt Disney Pictures
Run time: 45.26 minutes
This movie is the prequel to the much loved Black Stallion movies. It tells the story of Neera, a young girl, and the Black Stallion as a colt. Neera is abandoned in the desert with the Black Stallion after armed men steal Black’s dam and separate Neera from her caravan. Together they escape the desert and find their way to the house of Neera’s grandfather, a retired horse breeder.
Determined to restore her grandfather’s reputation, Neera enters a gruelling race against her grandfather’s will, planning to ride the Black Stallion to victory. This movie is absolutely lovely, with stunning photography and an interesting storyline. Arabian lovers will greatly enjoy it. Watch out for the scenes with the armed men which may scare younger children. I recommend it for ages 8+.
The Black Stallion
By: Walt Disney Pictures
Run time: 112 minutes
Onboard a ship on a turbulent journey, Alec Ramsey encounters ‘The Black’, a magnificent Arabian stallion that steals his heart…and saves his life when the ship sinks and Alec is left as the only survivor. Trapped on a desert island, Alec and The Black form a strong bond. After they are rescued and carried back to the USA, they hook up with a famous ex-jockey who shares Alec’s dream of turning The Black into the greatest racehorse that the world has every seen.
This is a very moving movie, although only those with a touch of ‘horse-madness’ will truly appreciate it. The cinematography is incredible and the acting is quite outstanding. The Black is completely captivating and will have all the Arabian fans in fits of jealous when they see Alec riding him bareback on the beach. Younger children may find the way The Black is treated disturbing and/or be very frightened by the shipwreck scene, though most kids above the age of 8 should be able to handle it.
Dreamer
By: DreamWorks
Run time: 102 minutes
Cale Crane’s (Dakota Fanning) father, Ben (Kurt Russell), works as a racehorse trainer for wealthy and arrogant horse breeder, Everett Palmer (David Morse). The web of relationships within the Crane family is tense and complex: Ben neglects Cale and her aspirations due to his passion for his job, and Ben and his father, ‘Pop’ (Kris Kristofferson), hardly ever get along.
One morning, Cale accompanies her father to one of the races, only to witness the horrendous injury of her father’s favourite Thoroughbred mare, Sonador (‘Dreamer’ in English). Palmer demands that the wounded horse be put down, but with his daughter watching, Ben is unwilling to destroy the promising young horse’s life. Desperate to spare the beautiful mare, Ben makes a bargain with his boss. Ben is ultimately fired by Palmer, but is allowed to take Sonador back to his home. Despite the fact that he is now unemployed and that no one believes that Sonador will ever fully recover, Ben is determined to help the mare make a comeback. Perhaps, with this fragile horse at the centre of all the events, the Crane family will be able to reconnect.
Dreamer is a lovely, touching film. It has a keen sense of reality, especially when you consider that it is inspired by the true story of promising Thoroughbred mare, Mariah’s Storm, who suffered the same injury as Sonador in 1993, but made a stunning return the following year.
Moondance Alexander
By: Fox Faith
Run time: 94 minutes
Undersized and innocent, Moondance Alexander (Kay Panabaker) is not particularly well-liked at school and is frequently made fun of by the insensitive crowd of popular kids. Her father died three years previously, and Moondance has never quite been able to recover after the loss of him.
Everything changes the day that Moondance stumbles across Checkers, the striking Pinto gelding who had escaped from his owner by clearing the massive fence of his paddock. After returning the spirited horse to his owner, the curt Dante Longpre (Don Johnson), Moondance trades doing stable work for Dante for a chance to ride Checkers.
Moondance Alexander is a sunny, enjoyable tale about devotion, individuality and a good dose of hard-core grit. There are some great life lessons in it, including overcoming grief, working hard and being open with your parents. Horse-crazy kids will fall totally in love with the handsome, salient character of Checkers; as you can see by the pictures, he is absolutely magnificent!
